The collection includes photographs and publications regarding many of Pitt’s buildings, including the Cathedral of Learning and Stephen Collins Foster Memorial. Other publications provide a history of the university’s libraries. Commencement and Honors Convocation programs are also present and detail some of Pitt’s ceremonial events that honor the achievements of students and faculty.

What's in the entire collection?

The University Archives maintains a series of information files on many of the building, organizations and events that contribute to the overall campus experience at Pitt.
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About Pitt Campus Life

Pitt’s campus has been located throughout Pittsburgh since the school’s founding in 1787; from Pittsburgh Academy’s modest building in the Golden Triangle to an expanded campus of two buildings in Observatory Hill in what is now Pittsburgh’s North Side. However, even though the university has had several locations, since 1909 the city’s Oakland neighborhood has been Pitt’s home.

The university constructed its new Oakland campus from scratch, implementing Henry Hornbostel’s Acropolis Plan which featured Greek Revival buildings scattered throughout the Schenley Farms hillside, beginning with State Hall. As the school grew in size, Hornbostel’s plan for the campus was set aside in favor of Chancellor John G. Bowman’s dream of an academic skyscraper. The resulting Cathedral of Learning has served as a symbol of the University of Pittsburgh since its completion in 1937 and the focal point of many of the school’s activities. Within Pitt’s buildings and throughout the university’s urban campus, then, are the people and events that make up campus life.